Ekow Yankah Cited in Ruling on New York's Stop-and-Frisk Policy

August 13, 2013 - Professor Ekow Yankah has been cited in Judge Shira Scheindlin's ruling that the New York Police Department's stop-and-frisk tactics are unconstitutional. The Judge cited a portion of his op-ed in the New York Times on July 16:

"What is reasonable to do, especially in the dark of night, is defined bypreconceived social roles that paint young black men as potential criminalsand predators. Black men, the narrative dictates, are dangerous, to bewatched and put down at the first false move. This pain is one all black menknow; putting away the tie you wear to the office means peeling off theassumption that you are owed equal respect. Mr. Martin’s hoodie struck thedeepest chord because we know that daring to wear jeans and a hoodedsweatshirt too often means that the police or other citizens are judged to bereasonable in fearing you."